UBCO using pop culture and Netflix shows like Stranger Things to teach economics

UBCO using Netflix to teach

Photo: Netflix

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Joe Keery (Steve) and Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) laugh during a scene from Stranger Things. The hit Netflix series blends supernatural drama with nostalgic 1980s storytelling—and economics, at least according to a UBC Okanagan researcher. (Handout photo)

Watching TV shows like Narcos and Stranger Things can actually help people understand complex economic concepts, according to a new UBCO study.

The findings were published in a new study published in The Journal of Economic Education by UBCO professor Dr. Julien Picault entitled, Teaching economics with Netflix. The course and the study explores how carefully selected Netflix content can help undergraduate students engage with economics in a meaningful, accessible way.

“Students are already watching this content. Our goal is to meet them where they are and use culturally relevant media to explain fundamental concepts like opportunity cost, supply and demand, or moral hazard,” says Picault.

The paper also introduces EcoNetflix, a free online resource that Picault and collaborators at Marymount University created.

The site features teaching guides built around diverse clips from Netflix original shows, films, and documentaries from around the world, with clear connections to both introductory and advanced economics concepts.

The study outlines how Stranger Things also provides a lesson in creative destruction.

Picault uses examples from the hit Netflix series, where the characters use walkie-talkies, phone booths and cassette players. "Today, a single smartphone replaces all these tools," Picault says.

This shift illustrates creative destruction, where new technology makes old products obsolete.

The crime drama Narcos, based on the true story of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, can be used to teach students about market control and oligopoly.

Picault says the courses work because they connect real life to economic theory.

“It’s not just about being entertaining. We want to improve learning outcomes and show how economics applies to the world students already navigate,” says Picault.

The study also argues that platforms like Netflix, with global reach and diverse catalogues, offer a rich foundation for building more inclusive economics lessons.